Flexible paper-based Ag dendritic SERS chips for rapid detection of thiram residues on pear skin.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful, highly efficient analytical technique capable of providing label-free, non-invasive, rapid, and ultrasensitive molecular detection down to the single-molecule level. Despite its advantages, SERS remains largely confined to laboratory settings due to the complexities of substrate fabrication and challenges in analyzing real-world samples. Developing flexible SERS substrates that achieve both high fabrication efficiency and high sensing performance, while being practical for field applications, is critical for advancing SERS toward broader, real-world use.

Flexible SERS chips for rapid on-site detection of tricyclazole pesticide in agricultural products.

A flexible, ultrasensitive, and practical SERS chip is presented based on a paper/f-TiO/Ag structure. The chip enhances the self-assembly of Ag nanoparticles on a cellulose fiber matrix, facilitated by smart functionalized TiO nanomaterials (f-TiO). This design enables superior detection of the hazardous pesticide tricyclazole (TCZ) on crops using an advanced, simple, and efficient analytical method.

Paper/GO/e-Au flexible SERS sensors for detection of tricyclazole in orange juice and on cucumber skin at the sub-ppb level: machine learning-assisted data analysis.

Despite being an excellent surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active material, gold nanoparticles were difficult to be loaded onto the surface of filter paper to fabricate flexible SERS substrates. In this study, electrochemically synthesized gold nanoparticles (e-AuNPs) were deposited on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets in solution by ultrasonication, resulting in the formation of a GO/Au hybrid material. Thanks to the support of GO, the hybrid material could adhere onto the surface of filter paper, which was immersed into a GO/Au solution for 24 h and dried naturally at room temperature.

Surface ligand modified silver nanoparticles-based SERS sensing platform for ultrasensitive detection of the pesticide thiram in green tea leaves: roles of coating agents in sensing performance.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been regarded as a highly promising substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors. In this study, we focused on the electrochemical synthesis method by developing three kinds of AgNPs using three different electrolytes: citrate (e-Ag-C), oleic acid (e-Ag-O) and fish mint ( Thunb.) extract (e-Ag-bio).

Enhanced sensing performance of carbaryl pesticide by employing a MnO/GO/e-Ag-based nanoplatform: role of graphene oxide as an adsorbing agent in the SERS analytical performance.

A functional ternary substrate was developed for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing systems. MnO nanosheets were synthesized by a simple and controllable hydrothermal method, followed by the integration of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets. Subsequently, MnO/GO nanostructures were decorated with plasmonic Ag nanoparticles (e-AgNPs).

Flexible, high-performance and facile PVA/cellulose/Ag SERS chips for in-situ and rapid detection of thiram pesticide in apple juice.

Flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors have gained significant attention for their practical applications in detecting chemical and biological molecules. However, the fabrication of flexible SERS chips is often complex and requires advanced techniques. In this study, we present a simple and rapid method to design a flexible SERS chip based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), cellulose, and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using mechanical stirring and drying methods.

Ultrasensitive detection of crystal violet using a molybdenum sulfide-silver nanostructure-based sensing platform: roles of the adsorbing semiconductor in SERS signal enhancement.

Crystal violet (CV) is an organic dye that is stabilized by the extensive resonance delocalization of electrons over three electron-donating amine groups. This prevents the molecule from being linked to a metal surface, and therefore, reduces the sensitivity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors for this toxic dye. In this work, we improved the sensing performance of a silver-based SERS sensor for CV detection by modifying the active substrate.

A manganese dioxide-silver nanostructure-based SERS nanoplatform for ultrasensitive tricyclazole detection in rice samples: effects of semiconductor morphology on charge transfer efficiency and SERS analytical performance.

Taking advantage of metal-semiconductor junctions, functional nanocomposites have been designed and developed as active substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing systems. In this work, we prepared three types of nanocomposites based on manganese oxide (MnO) nanostructures and electrochemically synthesized silver nanoparticles (e-AgNPs), which differed according to the morphologies of MnO. The SERS performance of MnO nanosheet/e-Ag (MnO-s/e-Ag), MnO nanorod/e-Ag (MnO-r/e-Ag), and MnO nanowire/e-Ag (MnO-w/e-Ag) was then evaluated using tricyclazole (TCZ), a commonly used pesticide, as an analyte.